What you must know about working while you study in Germany in 2022

Are you a non-EU national willing to study in Germany to improve your skills and qualifications? If yes, then you may naturally be thinking about meeting the expenses that come along with studies that may need you to make some earnings from work in Germany.

But are students allowed to work in Germany? Are Germany student visa holders also eligible to enter into employment to provide themselves and even get an experience of working in Germany? We will try to answer these questions here, as you are planning to study in Germany in 2022.

First things first, if you have enrolled yourself in an educational institution in Germany for higher education, you are allowed to work for limited hours while you are doing your studies. Here are the points to be aware of.

• You can work only 120 full days or 240 half days per year, either during the term or while vacations are on.
• The 120-day rule does not apply to you if you work as a student assistant. The reason is that there are no limitations attached to jobs at the university. To work more hours, you will have to inform the foreigners’ registration office.
• The rules of working hours are stricter in case you are doing a language course/preparatory course. You are allowed to work only during periods that have no lecture and only if you get permission from the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) and the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit).
• Work placements are treated as “regular work” no matter you are paid or not. Hence, the time you spend on a work placement will get deducted from the time limit allowed.
• You could be allowed to work more hours if the work placement is mandatory in nature and necessary as per your study regulations.
• If you work more than the limit you are assigned, you will need to pay health insurance, nursing care insurance, and unemployment. Also, any violation of the rules could end up in your getting deported.

The kinds of jobs you can do in Germany as a student

• Academic assistant
• Catering jobs in cafes and restaurants
• Production assistant as in assisting professionals like directors, cameramen, and costume designers
• Jobs in the retail sector
• Part-time work done online

There’s a limit on the amount you can earn from any work you do alongside your studies. You will be allowed to make up to €450 per month, beyond which your earnings will be subject to taxation in Germany. The tax deductions will happen from your salary every month. This can be taken back if you submitted a tax return to the German tax authorities.

The best cities to find work as a student are:

• Berlin
• Munich
• Frankfurt
• Stuttgart
• Cologne
• Hamburg
• Dusseldorf
• Leipzig
• Bonn
• Darmstadt

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest, or Migrate to Germany, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 immigration & visa company.

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